Artwork of the Day – John Rogers Herbert

Liverpool artwork of the day – Monday December 10 2007. ‘Tobias and the Fish’ by John Rogers Herbert at Sudley House

This is in the Garden Hall at Sudley House. You can zoom into the image on the Sudley House Website.

The story of Tobias and the Fish is recounted in the sixth chapter of the Book of Tobit. Tobias was sent by his father Tobit to Media to recover a sum of money that he had hidden there. The Archangel Raphael, sent by God, asked Tobit whether he may escort his son on his journey and, in company with Tobias’ faithful hound, they departed together. They reached the Tigris, where a gigantic fish attacked Tobias. The Archangel ordered him to capture it and had him remove and conserve its gall, heart and liver, whose miraculous properties allowed him to defeat a demon on his wedding night.